In Time, Death

By Alesyira

Summary: The one where Kurama continues to be an observant pain in the ass, Hiei does a favor, and Shippo makes a miscalculation or two.

The Elevator

Of course, Kurama had insisted on actually enjoying a cup of tea before leaving. Between the girl's sudden disappearance, Hiei's strangeness, and the interplay between those three, there were simply too many fascinating clues sprinkled around Shippo's apartment for him to just leave.

The priestess mysteriously vanishing in the moments after his arrival potentially said so much about her state of mind. He'd bet one of his tails that she'd either been kidnapped from beneath their noses (highly unlikely) or fled in mortification. The tip of his tongue touched a fang beneath a carefully placid expression. It just wouldn't do for his little cousin to see how much this entire setup amused him.

He spared a quick glance in Hiei's direction before turning his attention to anything else of note in the living room. His long friendship with the reticent little youkai had been peppered with flirts and teasing since the day they'd first met. It was impossible to overlook Hiei's appeal as an unobtainable treasure. The more he didn't want anything to do with Kurama, the more Kurama wanted to have him. He was so standoffish and irritable. He had his moments of passion though, despite not trusting anyone enough to let them into his bed. The few encounters Kurama knew about had been strangers that didn't know who he was and never saw him again.

It was a sad, lonely way to experience such things: as a necessity, rushed and without taking the time to savor the details.

One night several years ago, thanks to a coincidental rise of raging hormones after a particularly rough encounter with enemies, Hiei had finally given in to his advances. It had been both a surprise and a delight, and he'd made it worth the wait. The little lakeside cabin had unfortunately burned to the ground immediately afterwards, wiping away any trace they'd been together. Hiei had refused a repeat performance in the years following.

Kurama had been certain Hiei would take the secret of their one-time tryst with him to the grave. Hearing that he'd shared any of the details from that night with someone else was unbelievable.

~Experiencing us first-hand is immeasurably better than any number of perfectly designed seductions that I could have possibly come up with,~ Youko grinned, his spirit stretching languidly through Kurama's thoughts.

'Hiei may have done you a remarkable favor.'

~Us. Done us a remarkable favor.~

Kurama hummed quietly, his long fingertips tracing the rim of the teacup Shippo had handed him with a thinly veiled scowl.

His attention slid to the right, where Hiei leaned against the open balcony door and stared out into the early morning sunshine. 'Hiei rarely does favors for anyone.'

~Never does favors, you mean. He might be honorable and can be counted on to repay debts, but giving without an ulterior motive? It's just another hint about his currently unpredictable state of mind. It is very suspicious.~

Kurama narrowed his eyes and shot another glance in the short youkai's direction. 'Is he smiling?'

The old spirit didn't answer as they surreptitiously watched their friend's shifting expressions.

Shippo thankfully broke the silence. "So, this group your spies are trailing… those people are somehow connected to the ones that are suffering from that mysterious illness?"

Whatever had caused Hiei's lips to curl in amusement—Probably contemplations of murder, Kurama thought as he withheld a shudder—fell away, and his features seemed more neutral as he glanced back at the two of them. "Yes. They had been kidnapped by members of these groups and became sick shortly after being rescued. The only ones reporting the strange behaviors are those that had missing people returned to them, but no one intentionally involved with these groups." He shook his head in irritation and growled, "I despise the uncertainty."

Hiei turned back to the open doorway and looked pensive, a slight frown creeping over his lips. "I had this particular group followed because they stood out from the others. Elements of leadership, an oddity in their appearance, and a feeling of wrongness that I couldn't put my finger on."

"What kind of oddities in their appearance?"

His reply was quiet and reflective. "Like walking corpses. Death warmed over." Hiei flexed his hand, staring down at his fingertips where the color had started to leech away. "Ashen skin. Colorless hair."

Both Shippo and Kurama's gaze slid up to the white starburst pattern in Hiei's black hair. Over half of his dark strands had already faded to a pale grey.

Kurama and Shippo glanced at each other. "And you did not come into contact with any of these groups?"

Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, I kept my—"

Her return unexpectedly snapped through Shippo's apartment like a strike of lightning on a cloudless morning. He felt it in his heart as it skipped a beat, and then in the air as Hiei's sudden departure left a vacuum of negative space that swirled their scents and left the curtains aflutter.

Shippo pressed a hand to his chest, staring wide-eyed at the floor. What the hell had that been? He knew she'd just returned because he could sense her from here, but the last time she'd come back, he hadn't experienced such a wrenching sensation.

He blinked and clutched the fabric, turning his attention toward the shrine beyond his apartment walls. Nothing else felt wrong, so he trusted Hiei to either return her safely or keep her company until he could ditch the interloper. His gaze shifted sideways to frown at Kurama, who was watching him carefully and likely hadn't missed whatever had happened to him with Kagome's return.

Kurama casually uncrossed his legs and gestured to the balcony where Hiei had been standing moments before. "Whatever this strangeness is in the Makai, I believe it's now afflicting Hiei, and he suspects it as well." He stood and walked over to the table to touch the edge of the message. "This clue… the Reikai might know more. At the very least, I can give Koenma a hard time about losing track of another important item." Shippo looked ready to throw him out, so he planted himself comfortably against the edge of the table. "I'd love to stay and hear Kagome's thoughts on everything."

Shippo scowled and pulled him along to the elevator. "No, you can go, now."

Kurama chuckled. He was at a fascinating crossroads. Hiei's behavior and appearance were alarming, but didn't seem to be life-threatening, yet, and his little cousin was beside himself with irritation that he could not be so easily removed from the picture. "Listen, Hiei's behavior…" he trailed off and cast his senses wide, checking to see if the little youkai was on his way back yet. "Something is very wrong with him. I'm sure it goes without saying to be cautious."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be on guard." Shippo jammed the elevator's button impatiently.

"I will return as soon as I have some answers."

Shippo scowled in irritation as he pushed Kurama inside the elevator. "You can't just call?"

Kurama pursed his lips. "I could call, but where's the fun in that?"

At the ground level, Shippo left his quietly chuckling cousin in the lobby and stalked down the street. He wasn't completely certain he'd actually head to the Reikai for answers, but he had a few contingency plans in case Kurama was still there when he got back. I'll set his pretty hair on fire.

Kurama didn't even wait for Shippo to get out of sight before he slipped back around the side of the apartment complex, scaled the fire escape, and slipped through the balcony door that had been left wide open. A few minutes of unaccompanied snooping wouldn't delay him too long.

Shippo took his time walking toward the shrine, surreptitiously checking every few minutes to make sure he didn't have a nosey stalker. The deathly silence as he finally approached the top of the shrine steps was a little unnerving. He slowed and looked around for anything out of the ordinary. He could easily pick up recent scent trails for Kagome's brother, mother, and grandfather leaving the shrine that morning. The Goshinboku hummed nearby, vibrant and at peace as it recovered its energies after the troubles a few weeks prior.

Kagome and Hiei were nearby, their energies bright and shimmering. She's back. Hopefully safe and sound, he thought, strolling toward the closed doors of the little well house.

He was a little miffed she'd just left without leaving them a note, but he had an idea or two why she might have done such a thing.

He slid the wooden door open, entirely unprepared for what he found.

His breath caught in his throat for the shortest of moments as he stared down at the topless duo collapsed on the floor below him. He'd seen countless naked bodies in his centuries of life, and these two were no different, except they were.

Two he hadn't touched.

Two he hadn't played with.

Two he tried to not think about like that.

He shifted immediately into jokes and teasing, a defensive behavior that worked best to lighten moods.

Her lip wobbled. Eyes filled with tears.

A vengeful rage swept through him, startling in its violence. What had that bastard done? I will rip his limbs off and dispose of him in acid.

Before he could move toward the target of his anger, a strange numbing sensation edged in on his extremities as his body seized up and his vision dimmed. His nose gave him more details than he'd caught with his sight alone. There was no scent of fear or violence and she was at ease.

He relaxed, the rage dissipating.

He'd jumped to conclusions. Horrible conclusions.

He cast a lingering gaze over the two before stepping back to pull the door shut. He turned and stared at the empty courtyard, a simple barrier springing to life at his back to muffle any sounds. There wasn't anyone else close enough to hear. He just... didn't want to listen.

She saw me die? He rolled that thought over in his head, using the horror of that statement to distract his mind from what he knew was going on less than ten feet behind him.

Warnings about his impending doom hadn't accompanied that statement. So did that mean…?

He slid down the old wooden wall and propped his arms over his knees. It could only mean she'd been present for the demise of that creepy black miko.

But how was that possible?

He would have noticed that she was nearby, and surely she'd have helped if she'd been that close.

She might have even been able to save his life. Well, maybe not. That had been a pretty awful torso wound. Blood and guts everywhere, if Kuusai had his facts straight.

He bit his lip and stared at the ground. It didn't make sense. She'd reattached Hiei's arm mere weeks ago. Her powers and her control over them had probably only grown since the seal on the jewel had broken. Had she just been too late to help?

Kagome and Hiei emerged from the well house a few minutes earlier than he'd expected.

His morbid thoughts tripped over themselves and he scrambled to his feet.

He hadn't really considered this part as he'd lingered right outside the door. He fought back a shudder at the luscious scent rolling off of them. If he had even a few minutes to spare this evening, he would no doubt be back here in a flash to roll around in that darkened space like the horny idiot that he pretended not to be.

Hiei met his wide-eyed gaze with a deadpan stare. *I just did you a favor.* Without another word, he dismissed the kitsune from his thoughts and glanced sideways at Kagome until she looked up from adjusting her pouch. They shared a silent blink before he vanished from sight. The speed of his departure caused a swirling gust that kicked a few dried leaves around their ankles.

Where did he think he was going?

Shippo watched his quickly retreating form and then stared in confusion at the cracked door of the ancient wooden building. And what the heck kind of favor could he have done? He hoped Hiei hadn't heard his thought about rolling around in there later, but he'd forgotten his charm at the apartment. He blinked twice, his mind racing as he tried to come up with any explanation that made sense.

A small sound at his side drew his attention and he glanced down at the red-faced girl currently fidgeting with her traveling supplies. "Why'd he fuck and run?"

Kagome flinched.

Shippo smacked a hand into his face, feeling instant regret. "I mean, ugh. Sorry. That was idiotically harsh. I didn't mean to ask it like that."

She shrugged and murmured, "He thought we could use a few minutes alone." She peeked up at him, her face crimson. She smelled so strongly of arousal and sex it was hard to find the brain power to even begin a joke to lighten the mood.

She didn't seem interested in going back to her house, and so he followed along beside her as they walked toward the stairs leading away from the shrine. He reached out and snagged her bow and quiver, slinging them easily over his shoulder.

He cleared his throat and swallowed, turning his attention past the shrine exit where Hiei had gone. ‟So, tell me you guys used magic and figured out some aspect of whatever's wrong with you."

The flush had encompassed her ears and progressed down her neck. ‟Ah, no. It um… it just didn't come up."

She was making it too easy to drop in dirty jokes, but if she blushed any harder, her face might break.

He gave her a brief reprieve, watching her from the corner of his eye as they walked down the sidewalk, their arms casually brushing.

He sighed in mock regret at the next block. ‟You realize you're just gonna have to do it all over again, but with magic next time." He peeked over at her with a tiny grin.

Her lip trembled as she glanced away. He silently cursed. His attempts to distract and cheer her from bad memories were failing horribly. He threw an arm around her. ‟Hey, wait until we get back to the apartment before you get all weepy, right? People are gonna think I'm some kind of cruel boyfriend."

She turned a watery glare in his direction. ‟Maybe it would serve you right."

‟Don't make me tickle you," he threatened.

‟Don't make me zap you," she warned, holding up a finger.

‟Now, now, that wouldn't be nice out in public," he grinned. ‟You'd end up with more than you can handle!"

‟Was enough for me to handle a little while ago," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

His playfully dirty thoughts fizzled into dust as he watched her troubled expression. They walked quietly down the street back toward his place. She'd left her white top undone and hanging loose over her shoulders, and the dark fabric of her bodysuit glistened brightly in the sunshine.

He was so thankful he'd given her armor, but those deadly metal hands could have stabbed right through her protections like a hot knife through butter. Maybe he needed to get her an additional layer, or revisit the tailor to see if they had anything new in progress.

The apartment building seemed much farther away than he'd remembered. He glanced down at her and watched as she fiddled with the edge of her little pouch. ‟I could carry you," he offered.

Their shoes crunched against a bit of gravel as she tucked a lock of hair behind an ear. ‟Walking is fine."

They stopped to wait for a break in traffic before crossing a busy street. ‟How long were you gone this time?"

She swallowed as the tears gathered along her lashes. ‟Less than a day."

‟That's a really short time for such a sad look," he muttered.

‟Only took a few minutes," she whispered.

They slowed in front of his apartment complex, and she seemed almost hesitant to enter the building as he pulled open the door. He grinned down at her. "He's gone, you know. Took forever to convince him to go." She gave him a halfhearted smile and let him usher her inside the lobby. "He insisted on having tea," he muttered.

She hummed quietly. "It's good tea."

He nudged the elevator's call button with an elbow as he watched her. She stared at her feet, her shoulders hunched as she fiddled with her pouch. The doors opened with a soft whoosh and he followed her inside the little metal box.

The doors slid shut and muffled the busy rumblings of the street outside, smothering them in an uneasy silence as she sniffled quietly. He grimaced. She should have never had to witness such a thing. What the hell had she needed to do that she'd been there, on that day?

The elevator dinged as it slid up a few floors, and then he mashed the emergency stop button before pulling her against him for a fierce hug. "I am so sorry," he apologized, not really sure how he'd be able to help her get over whatever horrors she'd seen.

She threw her arms around him and burst into tears.

‟Hey, hey, it's alright now. I'm here. Whole, safe and sound." He held tight, patting her on the back as he rubbed his face against the top of her head. ‟I joke about the zombie thing, but I'm still very much alive."

She nodded miserably, shuddering against him as he stroked a hand down her messy hair. "It was the worst wound I've ever seen."

He managed a slight smile, but she couldn't see it. "I've walked away from some pretty horrible stuff."

She made an irritated sound before unexpectedly pulling free from his comforting embrace. He caught sight of her wobbling lip as she reached out and determinedly yanked on the front of his shirt. Confused, he leaned back and let her pull. A button pinged off the metal wall as she broke the thread in her haste to open his shirt.

She froze, staring at his abdomen. The faint ridges of a scar traced a path along his muscles, and she followed it with her fingers, tears streaming down her face. She'd seen this mark before and hadn't thought anything of it, but now she knew.

He twitched and tried to not giggle at the tickling of her fingertips, but then her hands spread flat against his skin and he gasped as they slid under the back of his shirt when she reached for the other side of his long-healed wound. The scent of what she'd just done with Hiei filled the elevator, a thick, appealing woodsmoke and cinnamon mixed with the curling exotic spice of her arousal. He swallowed hard and tilted his head back to stare at the softly glowing panels overhead.

Unsexy thoughts. Unsexy thoughts.

She rubbed her cheek against his chest and sniffled as she calmed, her fingers still tracing the edges of his scar. She paused with her ear over his heart, and he heard her sigh after a few minutes. Her fingers stilled against his skin, and without looking up at him, she said, ‟Hiei had some… things to say about you."

He was having a very hard time pulling his brain back into working condition, but his voice was mostly even when he replied, ‟Oh?" He tilted his head to peek down at her, wondering if he could pick up any clues from her expression.

She kept her face hidden, and her fingers clenched warningly along his back. He frowned. He couldn't remember doing anything in the short time she'd been gone that would have made the little youkai tattle on him. Was he about to get in trouble?

‟More like some very colorful thoughts," she clarified.

Oh. Instantly at ease, he laughed and leaned over her to whisper by her ear, ‟Were they mean or were they naughty?"

She gasped and pulled back from him, and as their eyes met, the humor faded from his face. Her nose and eyes were splotchy red from crying, but he knew when her gaze flicked to his mouth that Hiei had either done or shown her something that had shifted her perception of him.

He stood straight and brushed his thumbs along her cheeks to wipe her tears away.

‟Just so you know, I'm way better than his wildest dreams," he grinned. Her mouth fell open and he laughed. ‟But now I'm terribly curious. Should I ask for a sample from him, or are you going to tell me what was on his mind?"

Kagome's brain dissolved into mush. Nope.

He watched her face turn red with diminishing amusement. He was playing a game with her that he shouldn't. He cleared his throat and glanced away from her face, feeling weirdly out of his element as he rubbed the back of his neck. ‟I'm sorry I kept flirting with him. I know you like him." He peeked at her with a little half-grin at her blushing expression. "You guys sealed the deal, so I, uh…" he paused, turning his attention to the control panel, wondering if he should allow the elevator to continue up to his apartment now, before things got more awkward. ‟I'll stop."

He reached out for the emergency button but she grabbed his arm before he could. ‟Wait," she demanded.

He froze, feeling awfully exposed in the tiny metal box with his shirt torn open and buttons littering the floor. She smelled so good. He swallowed thickly, regretting the cramped space.

She pushed at his shoulder until he gave in and faced her. ‟I broke you."

He nodded with a shrug, looking at the doors and wondering if they'd somehow magically open to grant him some fresh air to think straight. ‟That's a given. Nothing new."

She put her hands on either side of his face, tilting his head down to look at her. ‟No, I broke you. More. When you…" she choked up, her gaze briefly passing through him as she saw something that wasn't there, her memory drifting back to the nightmare of what she'd seen. She looked at his torso again with a pale face. ‟You were ready to go. I made you stay."

He sighed and nudged her chin up so she'd stop visualizing the mess of his wounds.

Her lip wobbled as she trailed her gaze across the features of his face. ‟I made you stay because I didn't want to lose you."

He sighed down at her with mild exasperation. ‟Silly girl. It's harder than you think to lose me."

She stared into his green eyes, a fresh set of tears trailing down her cheeks.

He flicked his gaze to the left at the emergency button calling his name. ‟We do need to get out of this elevator, though."

‟Why?"

He grinned crookedly and punched the button to cancel the emergency stop. Because you smell like dessert and I'm starving.

He didn't say what was on his mind. It wasn't fair. She'd finally shown the fire elemental that she was interested. He just needed to see how long it would be before she decided he should leave them alone.

She reached out for his shirt and began buttoning it with trembling fingers. ‟I don't think…" she trailed off, biting her lip. ‟I don't know if Hiei wants you to stop flirting. I think he likes it."

He laughed. ‟He likes you more than my games. You guys have your thing, now. My work here is done. I'll back off."

She eyed the uneven end of his shirt. He sucked in a short breath as she grabbed hold of his waistband to try and tuck the offending material back into place. Her hands were very close to something he didn't want her to stumble upon. He caught her fingers and stared down at her with a gentle smile.

‟Don't stop," she whispered, looking up into his face.

His brow furrowed in confusion.

‟Don't stop being yourself. Don't get weird," she tried to clarify.

His expression softened and he released her fingers to put his hands on his hips, his mouth curling in a toothy grin.

She stared at his smile a moment too long. He felt his breath hitch. Some bit of giddy madness made him lean closer into her space. He brushed his nose against hers and closed his eyes, breathing deeply of her scent mingled with Hiei's. They smelled so good together.

Her nose moved up alongside his and he felt a soft exhalation against his mouth before her lips touched his, and then the elevator exploded in a blinding bright light.

The sudden void of nothingness sucked him forward into the now-empty space before him. He stumbled to the floor of the elevator, nearly landing on Kagome's bow and quiver as they fell from his shoulder and clattered against the wall at his side.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal Shippo kneeling where she'd vanished.

Author's Note: I removed one line from this chapter on FFN, because it's a tiny bit too explicit.

Also, it is absolutely wild that some of these chapters and concepts have been hiding in my 'coming later!' sections for forever, like this one, hashed out back in January. The ending changed in the last few weeks as I realized this was an excellent opportunity for a sidestep into the next mini adventure.